| In 1893, ten years after his arrival at Giverny, Claude Monet bought a piece of land neighbouring his property on the other side of the railway. It was crossed by a small brook, the Ru, a tributary of the Seine River. With the support of the prefecture, Monet had the first small pond dug; even though his peasant neighbours were opposed. They were afraid that his strange plants would poison the water. In this water garden you will find the famous Japanese bridge, weeping willows, a bamboo wood and above all the famous water lilies which bloom all summer long. Never before had a painter so shaped his subjects in nature before painting them. And so he created his works twice. Monet would find his inspiration in this water garden for more than twenty years. |